


Smack in the Middle of BNHA

by notawiz



Category: BnHA
Genre: American Reader, Beta Wanted, Cliché but not THAT cliché, F/M, For the sake of making this easier, GeneralEd.Reader, It’sBakugou, I’m looking for a beta reader, Multi, Please excuse my mistakes I’m trying, RealWorld!Reader, Slow Burn, StrandedInBNHA, There’ll be one endgame but idk who yet, Vulgarity_Bc_Duh, You can ignore that bit if you want to, idk_what_I’m_writing, just_go_with_it, snarkiness abounds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2020-05-13 23:56:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19261780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notawiz/pseuds/notawiz
Summary: You have been unexpectedly sucked into the world of BNHA, and you aren’t really sure where to start. One thing is for certain, though; You already have a major crush on Katsuki Bakugou. Will your feelings matter in the end? Could they even be returned? Not to mention, a certain redhead is garnering your attention.A bnhacharacterXRealWorld!Reader fanfic.All characters (except for you, Serena and Vaniah) belong to Kōhei Horikoshi, along with the world of My Hero Academia. Plot is my own.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can skip this if you want, it’s not a super important intro.

Once there was a dumb blonde. This dumb blonde was very good at school, and aced all of his exams without much effort; he was also a natural athlete, and was admired by many of his peers. However, he was lacking intelligence in the social sense. He had companions, certainly, but they were more like lackeys than friends. Things remained this way for quite some time; Katsuki Bakugou didn’t have a reason to have people close to him. In his view, having friends hindered progress, and bred weakness. Not to mention, people were annoying. He considered his mother as evidence for that. Regardless, he remained friendless, and dare I say lonely, for quite some time. That is, until a fateful encounter at U.A high, when a certain redhead decided to make friends with a disaster blonde. It took a lot of dedication.

With time, others began warming up to Katsuki Bakugou’s abrasive nature, and came to admire more than just his quirk. Mina Ashido, playful as ever, started to make jokes at his expense. Hanta Sero laughed at those jokes (a daring deed which risked Bakugou’s fury). Denki Kaminari sat right next to Bakugou, on multiple occasions, of his own free will. If that doesn't scream progress, I don’t know what does.

Anywho, these were facts you knew to be true. You had known them for quite some time, given the fact that you had binge watched My Hero Academia as soon as you became aware of its existence. What you didn’t know, however, was that it existed as its own version of reality.


	2. A (Very) Rude Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up in a different bed! Oooooo!

Quiet murmurs roused me from slumber. Refusing to be cast out of my dream, I dove under my pillow and tugged the fabric around my ears. Ah, now that’s perfect...I can’t hear a thing…Wait, why was my pillow being pulled away? No, come back! I reached for it but my hand only sliced through the air, and suddenly a bright light was shone onto my face. 

 

“I said,” a voice growled, “who the fuck are you?” Hearing a stranger’s voice snapped me out of my sleepy state, and I scrambled to sit up, hitting my head on the wall in the process. 

 

“AH,” I screeched. “GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!” I started grabbing whatever I could and tossing it at this...figure. A pillow first, then an alarm clock, and as I had my hand on a plastic water bottle the person screamed right back at me.

 

“FUCKING HELL, STOP!” I was startled to hear the deep voice shouting back at me, and tightened my grip on the bottle as it (he?) continued.  “IF YOU DON’T STOP RIGHT NOW, I’LL—” then the voice cut off, finally noticing that I was no longer throwing things. A silence ensued.

 

“Um,” I murmured. “I stopped. Why are you in here?” I glanced to my right and noticed that this was not, in fact, my room. I looked at the figure, rubbed my bleary eyes, and realized that it was, in fact, a familiar looking dude. I squinted and leaned forward to get a closer look at his striking red eyes, but that was all I had a chance to do before I was thrown onto the floor in a choke-hold. “Wait,” I wheezed. What the heck was going on? The guy suddenly decided to speak again, this time with a quieter (but just as frightening) voice.

 

“You have 10 seconds to explain who you are and why you’re here before I blow your ass to the moon.” I wanted so badly to have him rethink his wording but instead settled for the words:

 

“Can’t. Breathe,” because they were straight to the point and extremely necessary. 

 

“Tch,” he spat, before loosening the hold he had on me. After a couple seconds of panting, I started off with the hearty phrase:

 

“I don’t know.” The boy’s jaw clenched, and I hurriedly continued. “Look, I don’t even know where I am! Please, don’t hurt me. I—I don’t, I don’t know where I am, or wh-who you are, so...” My lower lip started quivering and my voice cracked, and I bit my cheek to keep from crying. The guy froze up for a split second before abruptly pushing me away from him. I was caught off guard, but relieved, and I backed up to the opposite side of the room. I kept my eyes on him as I slid down the wall and pulled my knees close to my chest. “Who—who are you?” I asked, swallowing my fear. “Why am I here? I haven’t done anything to you. C-can’t you just let me go?” At this, the guy’s brows furrowed, and he clenched his fists. 

 

“What? What bullshit are you spouting now, huh? You wanna go?” He made a move to advance forward, but I flinched and held my palm out as a signal for him to wait. 

 

“H-hold on,” I stated, trying to keep some ounce of rationality in this odd exchange. “If you don’t know why I’m here, do you at least know where I am?” My voice was shaky, and I hated that it was, but my fear always took form this way. The blonde sat down again on the edge of the bed, apparently decided I wasn’t a threat, and looked me in the eyes. 

 

“You…” he grumbled. “You really didn’t sneak in here?” I gave him a look of exasperation and, in a (somewhat) condescending tone, complained,

 

“If I did that, I wouldn’t have been so freaked out! If anyone is a psycho here, it’s you! What the heck were you doing, tackling someone who just woke up?” He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, there was a knock on the door. 

 

“Hey man, you good?” a voice questioned. It sounded male...and it kept talking. “I heard some pretty serious shouting...uh, and...sniffling?” The guy with me looked panicked, but responded in a surprisingly relaxed tone. 

 

“Yeah, just trying out a new game. Volume was set way too fucking loud.” My eyes met his again, and I was about to make a run for the door when it opened. Why was this lunatic trying to hide me if he didn’t kidnap me?

 

“Oh, what game—” The intruder, a redheaded guy, spotted me and cut himself off mid sentence. “Who—” he began again, just as the OG blondie let off an explosion...in his hand?! I felt my jaw drop before I tried to get the heck out of there.

 

“Fuckin’ wait!” he exclaimed, but I had already pushed past the newcomer and was sprinting into a large hallway. ‘Okay, it’s okay, everything is fine,’ I thought to myself. ‘What would my dad have me do…’ I ran as fast as I could down the hallway and spotted a door labelled STAIRS. I yanked it open and could hear loud shouts as I started running down the steps, a few at a time. After two flights, I looked up and spotted people on my tail. I could feel my chest tighten and I started running down even faster, taking 5 steps at a time, then 7 steps, and then I was falling. I hit the concrete headfirst, and I stupidly registered that I was bleeding before blacking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *•*•*•*•*  
> To be continued...
> 
> Did you like it? If so, please comment!
> 
> Chapter updates will be irregular...sorry dudes.


	3. The Po-Po Got Ya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up. Again.
> 
> PLUS! A cameo from Recovery Girl, yay!

This time, I woke up on my own. I yawned and tried to stretch my limbs, and then the strong smell of disinfectant hit me. I sat up straight and looked around with panic, before my head started pounding. I massaged my temples slowly, and realized I was dressed in a horribly airy hospital gown, and sitting in a rickety bed. A short, older woman moved the curtain around me, and I was struck with an odd sense of deja vu.

 

“Hello, dearie,” she cooed. “ Are you feeling okay? I cleaned up your head, and luckily it’s only a mild concussion, so that’s good news.” She smiled lightheartedly and pulled up a chair. I had never seen this woman before, but for some reason I trusted her. Probably because she was wearing a nurse’s uniform, and I hadn’t ever met an evil nurse. “Do you mind answering a few questions, just to make sure you’re alright?” I took a deep breath and nodded. “Good. What’s your name?” I eyed her for a bit before I answering.

 

“[F/N], [L/N].” My voice was tiny and tentative, much different from how I usually spoke. She grabbed a clipboard and made a note, then continued with her questions. 

 

“Your date of birth and parents?”

 

“Uh, that’s…[Birthday], and [Guardian].”

 

“Do you know what prefecture you live in?”  I furrowed my brows. What prefecture? Who asks things like that?

 

“I’m not really sure what...prefectures are, but I live in ____.” She tilted her head, and I had the feeling I had said something wrong. I scrambled to correct it. “Um, I’m sorry, I don’t really know which prefecture I live in, just the county and city...do you want the zip code? I know the zip code, I think it’s—”

 

“No, it’s alright, dear,” she interjected. The nurse rose to leave, shot me a worried glance, and left me alone with my racing thoughts. What exactly had I said wrong?

 

Minutes later a man in (what I assumed to be) a police uniformed showed up. He had a stern expression on his face, and asked me to follow him. I slid off the bed and onto my feet, and took a few wobbly strides before I was able to follow at a brisk pace. As we exited the room I realized I wasn’t in a hospital at all, and I started getting anxious. 

 

“Um, sir, where are we going, exactly?” 

 

The officer coolly responded without even a glance in my direction.

 

“Someplace quieter. You’ll be giving a testimony in a second, so don’t try to run off.” My eyes widened in concern. 

 

“Am I in trouble? I didn’t do anything! I don’t even understand what’s going on right now,” I rambled. “...please don’t arrest me! That blonde guy was the one—”

 

The policeman interrupted with “We’re here,” and opened a door to my right. I sighed and stepped inside, where, to my surprise, a person with a cat head was sitting down. He was wearing a police uniform as well. What was going on? The police officer that had been my guide nudged me past the door frame, and I sat down on the chair in front of me, open-mouthed. 

 

“That...looks so realistic!” I exclaimed, reaching towards the cat mask. A hand shot out and restrained me, and I turned beet red. “Ah, I’m sorry. It’s very well made, it even looks…” I frowned and closely examined the individual. “It’s real?!” I questioned.

 

“Ma'am,” meowed the cat-head, “You need to have a seat. We’re going to hook you up to these monitors to make sure your testimony is legitimate.” All the color drained from my cheeks and I sat in the seat without complaint, as the (normal) policeman hooked me up to the machine in front of me. “We’re going to begin with a series of simple questions. Please answer a lie for the first one.” As I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself, the cat-officer asked the first question. “What is your name?”

 

“Bruce Wayne,” I said sarcastically. Despite the worry and anxiousness I was feeling, I always could dole out sarcasm. The machine recorded what I assumed to be my vitals, and made an odd graph-looking thing that looked very...squiggly. 

 

“Now,” Cat-man began, “you will answer truthfully. Did you or did you not sneak into the dormitory of Katsuki Bakugou?” A series of images flashed in my mind. All Might fighting All for One. Bakugou being kidnapped by the League of Villains. Uraraka throwing a baseball into outer space. A Cat-Man Police Officer standing near Mr. Aizawa. Wait, a Cat-Man?! I was forced out of my thoughts when the cat-officer snapped his fingers near my ear. “Please answer the question.Your cooperation is what may save you from potential criminal charges.” I blanched again, and apologized. 

 

“Yes, I-I’m sorry. I did not break into Katsuki Bakugou’s dorm.” The machine beeped, and a tiny green light went off. The demeanor of the two officers in the room relaxed a bit, and they started asking more questions. 

 

“Is your name really [F/N] [L/N]?”

 

“Yes. Oh, and if you’re wondering, I’m 16.” Green light.

 

“Do you or did you intend to harm any students here at U.A?”

 

“No.” Green light. “Is that where I am right now?”

 

“What is your current residence?” Wow, they completely ignored my question.

 

“Uh, I’m not really supposed to be telling strangers that, but I guess it’s okay since you’re both cops…[Road Name], [City], [State].” Green light. I only received blank stares. “Um, in the US. I mean, you probably know that,” I said as I forced out a chuckle, “but-” I stopped speaking when I noticed;the officers had made eye contact with each other. They seemed to agree on something, and then (the regular) one exited the room with a cell phone up to his ear. I was left alone with Cat-man. Quite plainly, I expressed my most outlandish fear in this particular scenario. “Mister, I think I’m in an alternate reality. I’m very scared right now.” With a noisy beep, the “truth-telling” box let off a green light. The cat-officer closed his eyes, and put his thumb and index finger on what looked like the bridge of his nose.

 

“Wonderful,” he murmured. He removed his hand and looked me in the eyes. “Care to elaborate?”

 

So I did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> •*•*•*•*  
> I want to get y’all’s opinion on this; Should I double the length of the chapters? If I do that, updating will be less frequent, but you might be sustained for longer...
> 
> Please leave your opinion on this below! Oh, plus any comments on the work itself.


	4. A Happy Little Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are back...plus (ultra) the Symbol of Peace!

About an hour later, there was a knock on the door and the guy from earlier—who was Bakugou, or so I assumed—sauntered in. Right behind him was his redheaded friend, and after him, a tall, skinny man with clothes that were a little baggy. I gave the redhead a tiny wave, and he gave me a toothy grin in return. Those teeth! It must be Ejirou Kirishima. Or maybe I shouldn’t make assumptions...after all, they didn’t look exactly like Horikoshi’s drawings.

 

“As you have been informed,” the regular officer began, “Miss [L/N] here does not know why or how she came to be in your dormitory, Mr. Bakugou. Since you have already given your testimony, and yours as well, Mr. Kirishima, we have brought you both here to corroborate the stories.” A few chairs were added to the table, and the skinny man spoke up once everyone was settled. 

 

“Miss [L/N] has reason to believe she is in an alternate reality. Before you ask, boys, this is not to leave the room. She’ll be staying here at U.A in the meantime.” Bakugou looked really panicked for a second, and Cat-officer quickly picked up where the skinny man left off. “No, not with you, Mr. Bakugou. In her own dormitory. It has come to our attention that the only things she is familiar with include U.A and some of its students; in particular, Class 1-A.” Before he could continue, Bakugou interrupted. 

 

“No one thinks that’s fucking suspicious? Are you kidding?” He started to get out of his chair and shouted, “What the hell are you guys doing, huh? Is this the dumbass precinct?” Kirishima slapped him on the back and motioned for him to sit down. 

 

“C’mon man, look at her. She’s gotta be kinda freaked out. I mean, think about it! Our world is probably way different than the one she’s used to, right?” Kirishima blinked at me expectantly, and I couldn’t help but blush under his gaze. 

 

“Uh, there are some major differences, yeah. I was telling the cat—I mean, this officer here that quirks don’t exist on my Earth.” I paused for a second, and finally processed the fact that I was in Japan, in an alternate reality. Where were my parents? My friends, my family? Why could I speak Japanese?! As I zoned out I must’ve looked pretty frightened, because the skinny man—All Might in his true form—asked if I was alright. “I’m fine, yes. It’s just that...how am I supposed to get back? Everything is different here...how am I supposed to have a future? My history is wrong...I don’t have family...I don’t even have money or…” I clenched my jaw and looked up at the cat officer. “Sir, I didn’t tell you this earlier because I was embarrassed, but I really want some actual clothes. Right now, preferably.” The cat-man’s eyes widened as he remembered that I only had a hospital gown, and he ran out of the room (probably to get me something to change into). I sighed and put my face in my hands. “Also, just so everyone knows, I have knowledge of things that are beyond that of the average person.” I lifted my head up and made eye contact with the skinny man. “Are you Mr. Yagi Toshinori?” I asked. He gave me an affirmative nod, and I continued. “I really need to speak with you in private at some point. There is something you’ll want to know.” Bakugou skeptically looked my way, and I tilted my head as I held his attention. “You look much different,” I said, then took a peek at Kirishima. “...and you, too.” His hair was spiky, sure, but less exaggerated. He still had his scar, though. 

 

“Whoa,” Kirishima shouted. “We’re there, in your reality?!” I gave him a weak smile and tried to explain. 

 

“Well, you and everyone in this reality are part of a story in my reality. I met you, Bakugou, and...uh...Mr. Toshinori here… as characters, rather than real-life people.” I glanced at a Bakugou, and was startled to see him actually listening to what I had to say. The manga and anime depicted him as intelligent, yes, but I never noticed how observant he was. After taking a breath, I turned back to a Kirishima and continued. “I’ve seen...parts of your backstories, which for you guys must be childhoods. Like, I know your hair is naturally black, and that you went to middle school with Ashido.” Kirishima seemed puzzled, and reached up to touch his hair. 

 

“How did you…” He mumbled. I twisted my lips and moved my gaze to Bakugou. 

 

“I know that once, you and Izuku Midoriya were crossing a river with a few other kids, and that you fell in.” Bakugou’s eyes flashed with an emotion for a split second, but it was gone before I could identify it. 

 

“Fuckin’ big deal. Anyone could’ve known that.” I frowned and racked my brain for something I could use as proof. Ooooooooo, I’ve got a good one.

 

My mischievous nature must have gleamed through my eyes when I spoke the words “I know who becomes-” because All Might stopped me before the rest of my sentence could leave my lips. 

 

“I think that’s enough for today, Miss [L/N]. Be mindful of what you say; you never know what could come of it.” His words were kind, but his eyes held a gentle warning, so I promptly shut my mouth. The cat-officer came bursting through the door with a set of clothes, and I got up to meet him. 

 

“Thank you very much for the clothes!” I said, itching to change out of the hospital gown. 

 

“The bathroom is right around the corner,” he meowed. “Go ahead and change, we’ll be waiting to escort you to your dormitory.” I smiled quickly, thanked him again, and stepped out. 

 

Once I made my way to the bathroom and locked the door, I held the clothes out and was surprised to see that he had brought me the U.A school uniform. I looked at it appreciatively, and mentally compared it to the cosplay versions I had seen before—they were extremely similar. I was caught off guard again when I gazed in the mirror after getting fully dressed. My eyes were bigger and brighter, my hair was poofier, and my eyelashes were longer. I still looked tired, so I guess that even in this world I couldn’t escape my eyebags. Though, looking a bit different made sense...everyone in manga and anime were too pretty for their own good. I pinched my cheeks a few times and made all sorts of expressions, just to see what had changed about me. 

I had been a bit vain in the real world; here it would probably just get worse. It was this thought that brought me back to a state of shock. I was in a foreign place, with foreign people, and foreign circumstances. I was completely and utterly lost. The only things that I had any connection to were people who didn’t even know that I existed until fairly recently. I could feel a tightening in my chest, and my eyes began to well up. No, no, I’m not doing this right now. I swallowed harshly and splashed some water on my face. I stared at my reflection in the mirror for a minute and took deep breaths. Breathe in, hold for 4 seconds, then breathe out. Hold, then repeat. By the time I had calmed down, I had noticed that my eyes weren’t red anymore. Phew. It was time to head back to the police officers. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> •*•*•*•*•*  
> Hey, guys! How has your summer been?
> 
> I’ve been spending (too much) time on ao3 reading fanfics. What can I say? I’m a reader.
> 
> Please leave comments on what you liked & what might need to change, grammar-wise. Have a wonderful day!


	5. The Set-Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of talking and explanations. It’s U.A after all, so of course there are going to be special rules and safety measures.

The first thing I noticed when I stepped back into the room was that Kirishima and Bakugou were gone. All Might, however, had stayed behind, along with the regular police officer, who was stiffly posted at the door. The cat-man was nowhere in sight; maybe he had business to attend to? 

 

“Ah, young [L/N].” All Might’s voice wasn’t booming in his skeleton form, but it still commanded attention. “Please, have a seat.” I gulped and slid the door shut behind me, my movements slow and precise. I pulled out a chair a couple seats away from the former Symbol of Peace, because I was much too nervous to be brave. All Might coughed, and I flinched as I watched him wipe a streak of blood onto his hand. “As you can probably guess, this sort of thing doesn't happen often.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as he added, “The way we’ve handled this makes it obvious...but I need to hear what you know. It could very well place you in a dangerous situation.” His tone became notably more serious as he continued. “We’re not sure how you came to be here, or who or what is responsible. Any information is valuable.”

 

I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it again. What if the storyline was behind in this reality? “Mr. All Might,” I started to ask, “has the U.A Sports Festival taken place?” He raised an eyebrow before answering yes. I continued. “What about a training camp with the Pussycats?” He grimaced before replying yes again. “Okay. All I’m really familiar with is Bakugou’s kidnapping, the League of Villains, Class 1-A and Shinsou Hitoshi, I know about One for All, and the Big 3, what else-”

 

“Wait!” All Might interrupted. “What was that you just said?”

 

I tried to backtrack. “Uh...the Big 3? Oh, you mean One for All.” I toned my voice down to a whisper. “Yeah, I know lots about it. Izu—I mean, Midoriya is your successor. You’ve...passed it on. The flame, I mean.” I tucked a stray hair behind my ear and looked at All Might patiently.

 

“Huh,” he hummed. “Well, there are more and more people who know that secret everyday.”

 

I pulled a face and started to say “I’m sorry-” but he waved me off with his hand.

 

“If you are who you say you are, and as of now it appears that way, you have nothing to apologize for.” He rose up out of his seat and went over to the door. I mimicked his movements. “For... _ his _ sake, as well as your own,” All Might pleaded, “...don’t share this insight with others.”

 

“Of course not, sir.”

 

“Please, call me All Might,” he boomed, transformed for a split second in his empowered form. My eyes were wide as I took in the sight of this world’s mightiest hero; but my heart cracked a little when he reverted back to his true form and another coughing fit ensued—blood included.

 

For his pride, and my admiration for the retired hero, I quirked the corner of my lips up in a small smile. “Allllllrighty then, All Might.” He looked at me, tilted his head, and then cracked a smile. What? Was my little joke that strange? Shrugging it off, I went through the door to stand by the officer, and waved a tiny goodbye to the tall, lanky man. The policeman went inside for a second, and from what little I could hear, politely said farewell to All Might. I was twiddling my thumbs in anxiousness when he focused on me again.

 

“You’ll be staying in the area for General Education students. If you follow me I’ll escort you to your...living space.” I felt a prickle of anxiousness in my chest when I realized the word left unsaid was ‘temporary’. I silently followed the police officer, and though questions were racing through my head I voiced none of them. 

 

As we passed gaggles of students I was suddenly grateful that there weren’t lots of people around when Bakugou had chased me down earlier. People would probably be gaping at me and whispering about my sudden appearance—ah, it looks like I spoke too soon; people were already talking. I caught the eyes of a redheaded girl in a ponytail, and her head tilted to the left a bit. Déjà vu struck me again...but this was no time to dwell on that. The policeman had started talking to me. 

 

“...and you’ll be joining up with the rest of General Ed. students if you are still here after that, which is likely. Clear enough?”

 

I nodded, but then said, “Yes sir!” when I remembered he wasn’t looking in my direction for a response.

 

“Good,” he said, as we started climbing up a flight of stairs. “I’ll send over a device so you’re able to work on school assignments and learn about the history of…” he hesitated. “...this reality. You will not be permitted to leave the campus without an escort. Am I making myself clear?” Honestly, I was caught off guard by that last bit. Leave the campus? Given all that had just taken place, going shopping or exploring outside of U.A would have been the last thought on my mind. Wasn’t there more than enough to figure out on-campus?

 

“You are...but, hypothetically speaking, what if a villain shows up to, I dunno, get me?” I started running up the stairs to catch up to the officer. “Who would I contact? I can’t exactly beat them up all by myself.” I glanced down at my hands, and clenched them tightly, bitterly reminding myself that I was part of a defenseless minority here. 

 

The officer gave me a flat stare before leading me over to an exit door. “Surely you have emergency operators in your dimension.” I was about to comment when he told me, “The emergency number for the police is 110. The ambulance and fire services are linked to the number 119.” We passed a common room ad a couple students before settling in front of a dorm near the end of a hall. In a monotone voice, he stated, “This is your dorm. Don’t make a mess.” He pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. I figured his words didn’t warrant a response, so I just went inside and analyzed my surroundings. It wasn’t too small, and there was plenty of space for a dresser or desk. A pang hit my chest as I remembered I didn’t have anything with me. 

 

“It’s just right,” I told the officer. “Thanks, Mister…?”

 

“Harada,” he answered. He lifted his cap off his head, and reiterated, “Yuuto Harada, superintendent of Selkie police station.” He fit the hat back on his head, probably a little too snuggly, and stood up as straight as a rod. ‘You’ll be placed here as we continue to corroborate your testimony. After that, you may have to move around, but we’ll still be looking out for you. You’re under our jurisdiction, for now.” He stepped out of the dorm and went to close the door, but I grabbed the handle.

 

“Wait, can I ask a question?” He stopped moving and seemed to be listening, so I took that as a sign to go ahead and ask. “Am I allowed to walk around campus and stuff? Oh, and where will I be eating, the cafeteria? That reminds me, can I talk to the other students here? What will-”

 

“Stop. How do you expect me to answer your questions if you keep talking?” Annoyance had crept into Officer Harada’s voice. My bad. I could hear him sigh before he spoke again. “You’re permitted to walk around campus, but not past the gate. Your meals will be taken in the cafeteria until further notice. As for the other students...speak with them at your own discretion. However…” The door was being pushed open again, and the policeman was facing me as he said, “You will not speak about this—your situation—with any of them.” He seemed to reconsider for a second before correcting himself. “That is, except for Katsuki Bakugou and Eijirou Kirishima. Do not, under any circumstances, reveal any of your specific knowledge over past events involving Class 1-A. If you do so, you could endanger not only yourself, but others as well. Do I make myself clear?” I nodded harshly. “Very well. You may want to familiarize yourself with your quirk. People will be suspicious if you can’t manage it well by this age.” With that, he yanked the door shut and I was left alone with my thoughts.

 

Wait, did he just say I had a quirk?

 


	6. Quirky Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A more in-depth view at the Reader’s current state. Plus, someone new?

I awoke to the sound of chirping birds. Ah, that’s nice; I hadn’t had a peaceful awakening in a few days. Then everything came flooding into my brain at once.

 

I had a quirk. I had a quirk! How did this happen?

 

After Officer Harada left yesterday, I had racked my brain for 30 seconds trying to figure out what he meant. 

 

_ (Flashback) _

 

_ What was so extraordinary about me, that the policeman thought I had a quirk? I glanced down at my hands and my feet, touched my face, looked behind my shoulder blades for tiny wings, but came up with nothing. _

 

_ Then it hit me. I was in a foreign country and I could understand everything, and respond accordingly. That should not be happening. Sure, I had watched and read My Hero Academia in the real world, but I was by no means fluent in Japanese. When I was running away from Bakugou I had been able to read an  _ EXIT _ sign without any effort. Maybe my quirk was instant translation? I slowly opened the door of my dorm and stuck my head out, trying to focus in on the conversations of students wandering around. _

 

_ “Well, what do you want to eat?” A voice questioned. _

 

_ “You dunce,” someone responded, “there’s a reason I asked you. I can’t decide!” _

 

_ It sounded like plain English to me...but wait, what was that quiet noise? I tried to listen more closely to the sounds in the background. This time I heard a different, softer voice. _

 

_ “Taichōgawaruidesu…-ka ni kaerubekidesu ka.”  _

 

_ The pronunciation and words...they were different than what I was used to, but I could completely understand what the voice was saying. I squealed enthusiastically and jumped onto my new, lumpy mattress. This is so cool! _

 

After reminiscing on my awesome discovery, I stretched my limbs and sat up in bed. My clothes—my real clothes, from the real world—were lying in a heap on the floor. The sunlight streaming in from my window let me see the specks of dried blood on the shirt. Yuck. I’m guessing my concussion did that. I looked down to confirm that I was still in the clean U.A school uniform Cat-man had brought me. I hadn’t done much of anything yesterday, so I could get away with wearing this again. I got up and smoothed my hair down before heading out of my dorm, shirt and shorts in hand. How had my original clothes gotten in my room? That, I was unsure of, but there were lots of things I didn’t have answers to right now, and it was probably the police who left it, anyway. Worrying wouldn’t get me anywhere.

Every time I thought I heard a voice I ducked out of sight, but it all must’ve just been my imagination, because by the time I found a restroom I had yet to encounter other people. The bathroom door creaked open, and I immediately went to the sink to wash out my mouth and check my hair in the mirror. Yeesh, it was a mess. I didn’t have a comb, or a toothbrush, but when I set my dirty clothes on the counter a lanyard fell onto the floor. I picked it up hastily, and to my surprise it was an ID with my name on it, along with a barcode. 

 

“Maybe for lunch?” I wondered aloud. I dug through the rest of my clothes and found my phone in the pocket of my shorts. Hallelujah, access to the internet! Now I didn’t have to wait for the school-distributed device. I swiped across the glass screen and typed in the passcode. My heart clenched when I saw my home screen wallpaper; there, taunting me, was some[thing/one] else I probably won’t ever see again…

I brushed those thoughts aside, and shut my phone off in favor of reviewing what I know. In my reality, I usually went to bed in an oversized T-shirt, but when I fell asleep Wednesday night I had gotten home late from a dreadful family outing. Thank goodness I had been fully dressed when I had gone to sleep. That was the night before I had woken up here, in U.A, in a new reality, in...Bakugou’s bed. My cheeks reddened at that thought, but I set my clothes down and started washing my face to distract myself. I grabbed a clean towel from a rack labeled as such, and patted my face dry. I should get in the shower...I must reek from spending all that time in a hospital bed. Wait, I had just waltzed around U.A like this! All Might, the officers, Kirishima and Bakugou; everyone had been witness to my stinky, grimy self.

 “Nooooooooo,” I groaned, slapping my cheeks in embarrassment. 

I glanced up and frowned at my reflection in the mirror. There was a small bead of dried blood near my forehead. I hadn’t noticed blood earlier when I had changed...Maybe I had just missed it. Why did I have to have such bad luck? Then again, I was in a world that I had only ever dreamed of, so my fortune couldn’t be too terrible...I looked around the community bathroom, and once I was satisfied that no one else was present, I jumped in the shower. Ah, nothing could beat a relaxing shower. Just me, tiny bottles of soap, and my thoughts. It was nice—until I heard someone call out my name.

“[F/N?] Are you in here?”

I furrowed my brows and turned the water off. Did the police send someone to get me? Or maybe All Might? No...why would they not just search for me themselves? I settled on a reasonable question.

“Who’s asking?” I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the response I got was annoyingly cheery.

“Ah, I finally found you!” The voice then proceeded to yank open my shower curtain, and I was face-to-face with some blue haired chick. Her eyes stayed right on mine, even as I shrieked and grabbed the curtain to cover myself.

“What the heck?!” I indignantly spat. “I’m showering!”

The girl, who, on closer inspection had a wicked cool nose ring and owlish eyes, averted her eyes and covered her face with her hands.

“Reeeee-laaaaax, I wasn’t looking anywhere inappropriate. I just came to give ya some stuff.” She lifted her hand up, and I noticed she was clenching a rather large bag, with a brush peeking out at the top. When I didn’t reach out to grab it, for what I thought were obvious reasons, she dropped it onto the floor and spun around, slumping against the wall with an “Oof”. She reached into her back pocket, pulled out a lollipop, slid the wrapper off, and plopped the sucker in her mouth.

“I’m Vaniah, by the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeaaaaah, I updated! Close to the end of summer, too. I have no consistency though, so sorry about that. Also! Is there anyone kinda experienced to beta this? Please contact me if you'd like to! I need another set of eyes to catch my silly mistakes.


	7. Day 01

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tour time? Kinda?
> 
> New OC because we gotta buuuut there’s a surprise guest at the end!

Blue-haired chick, or, as I now knew her, Vaniah, waited right outside the stall door as I changed into a clean U.A uniform. The bag she had brought me had a few sets inside, along with a toothbrush, comb, soaps, underwear, and tampons. I had always figured U.A was thorough, but seeing how quickly they had pulled all this together surprised me. As soon as I cracked the door open, Vaniah pulled her eyes off her phone and stuck them on me.

 

“So,” she drawled, “Where ya from?”

 

I internally winced at the question. In the States, asking someone where they were “from” triggered all kinds of responses. I just opted out by saying,

 

“It’s complicated. I lived in the U.S, though.”

 

Vaniah’s tone of voice reflected her surprise.

 

“You don’t have an accent at all! You must’ve learned it when you were young then, right?”

 

“Something like that,” I agreed. I had no clue who this girl was and whether or not she’d try to take advantage of me later on, so I figured keeping my quirk a secret might have future uses. I grabbed the clothes I had changed out of and the towel I had hung up, but Vaniah stopped me.

 

“Chisa comes by to pick them up,” she reassured. “She’s always stressin’ out when towels go missin’, so it’s best to leave ‘em be.”

 

So, Chisa is the janitor. Good to know. I figured Vaniah knew better than I, and left my towel hanging limply, wet from when I had wrapped it around myself and promptly slipped on water. I guess clumsiness followed me from my reality...a shame, really. Apparently, so had something else—It was jarring to hear BTS’ song Euphoria as the chorus started playing from Vaniah’s cellphone! She excused herself and stepped outside of the bathroom, but I could make out her irritated, “What now?” as the door closed. I wonder how much of my reality can be found here…

 

I glanced in the mirror and sighed, a bit relieved to be alone as I finished getting ready. After nabbing a tiny lotion bottle out of the bag I’d been given earlier, I began moisturizing my face. I proceeded to yank my hair out of the towel-turban I had pushed it into and tried to brush it, but was met with lots of resistance. Tangled hair is never fun to deal with—as a kid, the only time I didn’t hate my hairbrush was when someone else was brushing my hair. As the unruly strands smoothed out a bit, and brushing became easier, I started to think about what I had left behind. My friends would be fine without me...probably. My parents, though…they’d be seriously worried. My dad in particular; he’d be heading search parties in desperate attempts to find me. I felt a pang of guilt, but I pushed it down when I remembered what he’d said to me that night. He had dragged my mistakes out into the light and shamed me for believing differently than he. The way he did it, without any ounce of remorse...It hurt like heck, and I wanted him to feel that for once. Besides, who knows, maybe I had a doppelganger standing in for me in my reality anyway. Maybe this entire ordeal was some complex plot for the invasion of my universe.

 

I felt the blood drain from my face.

 

 Okay, time to backtrack from that line of thought. The cops are probably investigating that possibility right now, so there was no sense in stressing about a more unlikely, only somewhat probable scenario. 

 

Right? Right.

 

Vaniah came bursting back into the room just as I had deemed my appearance to be good enough for public viewing. 

 

“Hey, [F/N], you ready?”

 

I must’ve made my confusion evident, because she clarified a second later.

 

“Oh, I’m your official-unofficial tour guide. Here to show you the ropes and all that jazz. Get it?” She grinned at me. “All that jazz?”

 

I arched an eyebrow.

 

Vaniah sighed in exasperation, and asked me, “Are you sure you’re American? I thought they used that phrase all the time.”

 

“Well,” I began, “Some people use it, I guess, but it’s not super common anymore.” I saw her slight fall in countenance and tried to backtrack by teaching her some godforsaken phrases of American youth.

 

“Oh,” she exclaimed a few minutes later, as we walked along the hallways of U.A. “So if I say, ‘You just got roasted,’ it means you got ragged on, instead of, like, oven-roasted?”

 

I responded with an “mmhm” of affirmation, and she lit up in excitement and threw a clenched fist up into the air, and stood frozen.

 

“Freakin’ yeah! I guessed it this time!”

 

I couldn’t hold in a little laugh at her antics, and matched her position on a less dramatic scale. In the spirit of anime, why not?

 

“Plus ultra, Vaniah!”

 

She whipped her head from her point of daydreaming straight to my eyes and grinned. I noticed for the first time that she had purple gums!

 

“You’re really getting the hang of this U.A lifestyle quick, girl!” As she lowered her arms and I followed suit, someone on the other end of the long hallway called to her.

 

“Vaniah, wait up!” A short, young-looking person with round rimmed glasses and a thin, wispy tail trailing behind them was booking it across the tile floor. Vaniah stopped in her tracks and gave the stranger a tight smile before turning the pair of us around.

 

“Whatever you do,” she whispered in my ear, “don’t go starin’ at her tail.”

 

As quickly as she had spun me around the first time, Vaniah turned me to face the stranger who was now steps away.

 

“Thanks for stopping, Vaniah,” the girl said between gasps. “I was trying to find you earlier, but anyway, Mr. Shigumi needs you to meet him later today to talk about the club roster.” She pushed her glasses up and wiped her forehead before continuing. “There aren’t enough guys in attendance for it to be included on the co-ed list, and you still have to look over Mitsuba’s records since he...well, you know.”

 

Vaniah’s eyebrows were furrowed and her lips were turned into an annoyed pout as she massaged her temples. “Bleh, okay, I’ll just go do it now.” Out of nowhere, she grabbed my hand and the mystery girls, and placed them on top of each other. “[F/N], meet Serena. Serena, meet [F/N]. Now, y’all go become best friends on an awesome tour while I take care of this disaster!” She tapped our hand-pile softly and started jogging backwards in the direction the girl—no, Serena—had come from. “See you in a few, ladies!”

 

I could feel the awkwardness set in instantly as soon as Vaniah’s bubbly presence had melted away. I moved my hand off of Serena’s in a rush, not wanting to make things weirder between us. Hadn’t it been kind of rash to assume that she could even give me a tour right now? What had Vaniah been thinking?

 

“...Hey,” Serena began, her voice much quieter than it had been before. “Have you seen the cafeteria yet?” I felt a sense of relief wash over me; food was something practically everyone could bond over. Maybe Serena and I could even become good friends after today!

 

“Lunch Rush makes a really yummy salmon filet,” she continued, “and if you want we could go down there now before everyone gets in line…”

 

“Sure, that sounds great! I haven’t had breakfast and I’m pretty hungry…” My stomach growled in agreement and I felt embarrassed at its timing, but Serena took it good-naturedly and the tension between us ebbed away as we walked. I was even able to have some questions answered.

 

“So, what club were you talking about earlier, with Vaniah and that Mitsuba guy?”

 

“Oh, that’s Sign Language Club. We don’t have many male members for some reason, and every time Vaniah tries to recruit some it ends up repelling more…” Serena shuddered at that, as if dismissing some past memory. “As for ‘that Mitsuba guy,’ as you called him, he was our treasurer and the only male member we had last semester. It turned out that he was stealing funds rather than guarding them, so he was expelled as soon as evidence was gathered against him.” 

 

“Wow, I’m surprised someone with that character managed to get into U.A in the first place. Aren’t a bunch of recommendations required to even become an applicant?”

 

Serena sighed quietly and nodded her head. “He was usually clever about hiding his tracks, but he hadn’t accounted for the club’s members. My quirk, telepathic function, is activated by skin-to-skin contact, and...well…” Serena grew quieter and quieter until I could hear were garbled words. It was over as soon as it started, though, and she ended her recap with, “and by then it was too late.” I guess she must’ve been close to this boy...now I feel sorry for having asked about him. In an effort to distract her, I asked what she knew about the support course, and she complied, but without her previous enthusiasm. Shoot, I hope I can distract her with food.

 

As soon as I heard the sound of bustling trays, I  picked up my walking speed and Serena followed suit. 

 

“Oh my gosh, what’s that delicious smell?” I raved, mostly for distraction purposes but partly in actual curiosity. “It’s like—um, something fancy, like—”

 

“It’s Mac & Cheese,” a low voice said behind me. “American style.” 

 

I spun around to face a dude with very serious eye bags and hair that was dark...purple? No, black?

 

“Oh,” said Serena, her tone much perkier than it had been before. “[F/N], meet Shinsou. He’s in General Ed. just like us, but he’s really aiming for the Hero Course.”

 

I could feel a grin make its way across my face. I could only hope it didn’t look too creepy because I was too excited to reel it in.

 

Oh, and on second inspection, his hair was definitely purple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so sorry for not updating, time really got away form me this school year...I’ve had time lately though, due to recent circumstances that you guys are probably familiar with.
> 
> So, lots of stuff going on in the world right now, but it’s important to have hope for the future! Try some new things, get some work done, or relax if you’re in a country that’s under quarantine right now (like mine). I hope you all stay safe and healthy during this scary time!


	8. Day 1.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tour time! Well, kind-of. Plus: The cool Gen. Ed student we all know and love is sticking around!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is muuuuuch longer than usual, (double the usual length and then some) mainly because it's going to be a little while till I upload again. Online school and all that. Please tell me if you'd like to have longer chapter lengths in the future (with longer gaps in updates) or if you don't really care about length as long as there are updates. Stay home and stay safe, my wonderful readers!

Shinsou! _The_ Shinsou! Purple-haired, cat-loving, determined Shinsou! This was turning out to be an awesome morning. Without thinking much about it, I fling my hand from my side and hold it out to Shinsou, making sure to keep good eye-contact. I want to make a good first impression, after all! Plus, he has cool-looking eyes. What is it with these anime boys and gorgeous eyes? Unexpectedly, he seems a little startled, and it’s only after a few seconds of hesitation that he tentatively stretches out his right hand to shake mine.

 

“I’m [F/N]. Nice to meet you, Shinsou!”

 

I must’ve grabbed him a little too forcefully, because as I shake his hand, his forearm bounces right along with it.

 

“[F/N], huh? You...must not be from around here,” Shinsou assumed, keeping his focus on me after we’d unclasped our hands.

 

I raise my eyebrows in surprise; I thought Vaniah had said I didn’t have an accent!

 

“How could you tell?” I ask him, a bit confused as how he had figured it out so quickly.

 

His gaze switches over to Serena, and they seem to have a second of silent communication before he shrugs and responds.

 

“Lucky guess? But anyway, aren’t you going to order some _fancy_ Mac & Cheese?” He points to what looked like the formations of a line, and it takes a second before I realize he’s made fun of me.

 

“Hey,” I protest, keeping my eyes on Shinsou and frowning a bit. “It smells different than usual with Lunch-Rush making it! How was I supposed to know it was Mac & Cheese and not some high-class cheese souffle?”

 

He clucks his tongue and shakes his head in disappointment. “And to think, an American who can’t recognize her own country’s staple food. How patriotic.”

 

Now I see what he’s doing. Trying to rile me up, are you? 

 

“Well guess what,” I start to argue. “Mac & Cheese is originally from England, not the U.S., so—wait, how’d you know I was American?!” What could I have done to give away my nationality that easily? Oh no, was I acting like one of those horrible American tourist stereotypes right now, screaming instead of talking and waving my hands everywhere? No, I couldn’t be, I hadn’t even moved my hands since shaking his...so what gave it away? That’s when I see it. Serena has her ankle pressed discreetly against Shinsou’s heel, while her eyes are off in wonderland, in the direction of the lunch choices for the day. That shy, soft-spoken girl had totally given me away!

 

“Serena!” I exclaim in mock-despair. “I can’t believe this. You’ve totally betrayed me with your awesome quirk.” I turn away from the pair of them in the beginnings of a mock faint, the back of my hand laid on my forehand, when, to my surprise, Shinsou responds.

 

“It wasn’t just that, actually,” He begins, tapping me on the shoulder as a way of getting me to face them again.

 

Serena moves her foot and changes her focus from the menu onto me, smiling softly. There’s definitely more to this girl then what meets the eye! “Shinsou’s right,” she begins, “But before we get to that, how about we jump in line first? Everyone else is starting to pile in, and we don’t want to miss out on today’s dessert. I hear it’s _really_ good.” 

 

I just play follow the leader and copy Serena as she grabs a tray and asks for specific portions, then scans her I.D. As excited as I was to eat, I was a little disappointed to find that today was themed “U.S. Cuisine”. Looks like I won’t be getting any authentic Japanese food today. Maybe tomorrow?

 

By the time we sit down to eat, I’ve been taught that handshakes aren’t usually so...violent, in Japan. Actually, I was probably shaking Shinsou’s hand too ‘violently’ for U.S standards too, but it doesn’t really matter _now_. I was also told that direct eye contact during handshakes was kind of rude here, which was really interesting to hear. I need to remember that even though I can understand Japanese now, I still need to learn about Japan’s cultural norms and behaviors. It would be nice to know more about Japan, that way when I go home I would have learned something new! When or if, that is...As my thoughts threaten to trail off again, Serena’s voice brings me back to the present.

 

“Vaniah never told me, actually,” she had finished saying to Shinsou, before looking at me expectantly. “Why _did_ you transfer at such a weird time of the year, [F/N]?”

 

Oh no. I hadn’t prepped for questioning. On the fly it is, then!

 

“Uh...it’s kind of a long story.”

 

Shinsou and Serena blinked at me with unimpressed looks that seemed to say, ‘Go on?’

 

Darn, I was hoping that’d work. I can’t ruin everything with a stupid lie. It’s gotta be smart...convincing...it’s got to keep them from digging for more...that’s it!

 

“My parents are dead.”

 

Shoot! What the heck was that?! Why do I suck at this? What do I do to fix it?!

 

Both Serena and Shinsou have wide eyes now.

 

“Oh…” Serena begins…”That’s—“

 

“To me!” I continue, panic creeping into my voice. “My parents aren’t like, actually dead, more like, dead to me.”

 

They still look concerned, so I try to keep going.

 

“They don’t see eye-to-eye with me on...well, on almost everything, so one day I just couldn’t take any more arguing and bam, here I was!”

 

Now their expressions were of disbelief. Of course...I’d forgotten how prestigious U.A. was...maybe because Mineta had gotten in. 

 

“Well, I had applied to go to school here way earlier on, but my parents hadn’t known, because I just put my Aunt as my guardian, and she’s more lax about these types of scenarios. She’s from Colorado. Oh, and she could technically have part-time custody of me anyway since she was the egg-donor for my mom’s pregnancy, so—“ I cut myself off there, because as I know if I go any longer my story’s going to go even further off the rails. 

 

Shinsou’s the first one to speak this time.

 

“...Okay,” he says, before grabbing his spoon and scooping up a generous amount of Mac & Cheese.

 

“You guys don’t think it’s...um...weird?” I wonder aloud. It’s not an impossible story, but it sounds really out-there.

 

Seeing as Shinsou’s mouth is full, Serena answers.

 

“It’s definitely strange. But I can’t say I’d blame you...If I had the opportunity to leave an unhealthy home life and attend the school of my dreams, I would.”

 

Shinsou nods in agreement, and Serena starts to go into an entirely different subject while I’m left with a heart that’s leaning how to beat again.

 

To say that I’m relieved they bought it is an understatement. If they’d suspected I was a liar, would they’ve brought me up to the Principal? Would I have compromised whatever secrecy the Police were trying to maintain? Would I have been kicked out of my dorm, or worse, sent to a holding cell? One stupid slip of the tongue could put me in a world of trouble. How was I supposed to hold out for so long without ever really talking to anyone about what I was really dealing with? Besides, I don’t even know how I got here or how to return...That’s when I remember the exceptions that Officer Harada had mentioned. 

 

_(Flashback)_

 

_“You will not speak about this—your situation—with any of them.” He seemed to reconsider for a second before correcting himself. “That is, except for Katsuki Bakugou and Eijirou Kirishima. Do not, under any circumstances, reveal any of your specific knowledge over past events involving Class 1-A. If you do so, you could endanger not only yourself, but others as well. Do I make myself clear?”_

 

I can talk to either of them about my reality! The idea of any sort of conversation with either of them makes me really excited, but also nervous...How would I even be able to talk to them without it being super awkward?

 

‘Hey, I’m that girl from earlier, you know, the one who came out of nowhere and ended up in someone’s bed? Wanna be best friends?’

 

Gross! Talk about weird. There wasn’t even a way I’d be able to talk to them out of the blue, since we were in different courses and all...unless…

 

I scan the cafeteria for a second. Spiky red hair, spiky red hair, spiky red hair...there it is! I spot the back of what looks like Kirishima’s head, and silently give myself a reminder to find him tomorrow. If our short meeting with the policemen was anything to go by, Kirishima was definitely interested in knowing more about my reality. If I answered his questions, he could help me figure out the answers to mine. As I shoveled a spoonful of cheesy goodness into my mouth and started listening to a silly argument between Serena and Shinsou, I realize that for being an inter-dimensional traveler, I feel pretty darn good about being where I am.

 

“Hey, [F/N], out of curiosity,” Serena begins, “Did you give Vaniah your first name or last name?”

 

I try to recall if I introduced myself to her with my full name, when I suddenly remember that I had never introduced myself to her at all! Vaniah had just praced into the bathroom calling out my first name and ripping open shower curtains. Oh gosh, wasn’t there a custom in Japan of calling acquaintances and strangers by their last name? Had I already made another mistake in politeness?

 

Serena must have noticed my panic, because she reacted to my silence with a sigh and shook her head softly.

 

“That Vaniah, always so informal. Her Dad’s Australian, and he acts the same exact way, trying to be buddy-buddy with everyone he meets right away.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say, putting down my spoon and rushing to correct my mistake. “I’ve been calling you Serena this entire time! Would you prefer to go by your last name?”

 

Serena waves me off with a dainty hand.

 

“It’s perfectly fine, that was how Vaniah introduced us, after all,” she reassures me. “I do wonder, though,” she mutters, with a sly look in her eye. “Shinsou, dear, why didn’t you ask for [F/N]’s last name? Would you like to know her more...intimately?”

 

At this, I can feel my cheeks flare up. What was Serena thinking, phrasing her question like that?! Shinsou and I make eye-contact for a split second before I look away in embarrassment.

 

“C’mon Serena,” he grumbles, one hand on the back of his neck. “I just figured since she was American and all...first names are used for introductions between friends, right?” He looks at me pleadingly. I still have rosy cheeks, but I have enough operational brainpower now to help out a guy in need. Besides, I’m not sure Serena’s going to stop now that she’s seen how easily I can become flustered.

 

“Y-yeah! That’s what we usually do in school...and stuff.” I smile softly and try to look anywhere but Shinsou. It takes a minute for a blush to go away. Maybe if I visualize it receding it’ll go away...that’d be a nice quirk right about now.

 

Shinsou clears his throat and tries to get us all onto another subject. 

 

“Anyway, do you know much about the Hero Course? That’s what U.A is most known for, especially overseas.” Grateful for a change in topic, I spring into an All Might spiel based on what I’ve learned for BNHA binges at home, plus a little bit of wiki searching in my free time. 

 

“Besides him...I know that there’s a provisional license program that the students take that’s built into the course, which is smart. It must save students a lot of money to attend U.A in the long run, especially since the addition of the dorms!”

 

“Wow, that made the news all the way in the U.S?” Serena says in curiosity. I must’ve been too specific in what I knew about this place...after all, the dorms were built in 3 days and students were the ones who were told, not news stations. I’ve got to cover this up!

 

“Well, I was reading this article over steps schools around the world were taking to prevent villainy on campus,” I lie. “U.A was one of the schools on the list!” Shinsou and Serena nod in understanding and we get back to eating the heavenly Mac & Cheese made by Lunch-Rush. If there was one thing I could pick to take home with me, it would be that chef! The aroma of the food from the kitchen, plus the plate in front of me, was almost overwhelming...so many different flavors and delicious combinations. I wonder if he has a recipe book for sale? I could try to make something for the people on my dorm floor! Suddenly, a fingers snap in front of my face.

 

“Earth to [F/N],” Shinsou drawls.

 

“Yes! Sorry, I just can’t get over this food,” I gushed. “What does he put in this stuff, anyway? Pot?”

 

I watch my new friends freeze for a second before they burst out in laughter. Shinsou is hunched over the table with dry heaves, and Serena is covering her mouth in some attempt to smother her laughs. 

 

“Y---you really are---a real American,” Shinsou manages between laughs, one fist lightly hitting the table. I don't mind being made fun of sometimes, but these two just keep at it! To Serena's credit, though, she calms down a bit earlier than Shinsou, who’s still shaking his head and quietly chuckling.

 

“And, you said that last part in English, you know!” Serena exclaims, a silly smile still resting on her face.

 

I look at her strangely. How could I have said it in English? It didn’t feel like I changed anything about the way I spoke...I see! Maybe that’s what the Officer meant when he said I needed to get a better handle on my quirk. I can’t tell when I switch languages...And with All Might, after I had made a pun, he had given me a strange reaction! What if I had made it in English?

 

“Oops,” I tell her, with a guilty look on my face. “I can’t help it sometimes! It just slips out!”

 

Shinsou replies casually, with one hand holding up his chin.

 

“Don’t stress [F/N], I think it was funnier that way. Besides, now you’ve proven you’re actually American, since your English is pretty perfect. That and...don’t all your American celebrities have something to do with pot?” A stereotype about Mary Jane? Really? Do foreigners really think all of us are pot lovers?

 

“What? Who told you that? Sure, we sing about it, and it’s in some T.V shows, and movies, but...Oh my gosh, why do we like it so much?”

Serena and Shinsou laugh again, and by the warm feeling it gives me in my chest I can tell that things are going to be alright here, in this strange, yet familiar reality. At least, they will be for today.

**Author's Note:**

> •*•*•*•*•*•*  
> Thank you for taking the time to read my work! Please leave specific critiques on my writing below. 
> 
> *NOTE: This timeline is totally wack, so no need to comment on this vs. what’s current in canonverse.


End file.
